Reviews

“[A] story of damaged individuals searching for hope and love in the midst of pain and loss. Keller takes the paint-by-numbers romance of Tess, rebounding from a traumatic divorce, and Brian, her handsome neighbor with baggage of his own, and pushes it into grittier territory. Far from offering an escapist fantasy, Keller sets their relationship amid an economically depressed, working-class town populated by drug dealers and addicts…This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but those willing to imbibe will be rewarded with a satisfying conclusion.” – Booklist

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“Quietly devastating.” – Publetariat founder, April Hamilton

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“R.J. Keller’s Tess is rough-edged, whipsmart, beaten down and indomitable. She’s real. You can get your arms around her.” – Craig Lancaster, author of 600 Hours of Edward

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“[I]t’s got real womanly grit, and I like that. It’s a story about survival, about surviving the perception we have been force-fed about ourselves and others. We all know that that sort of survival is rarely pretty, but it’s inspiring nonetheless.” -Cheryl Anne Gardner, POD Peeps

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“A strong debut. Her voice is strong, her talent is evident. […] This is the spring of Keller’s work, the beginning and now we can anticipate the full bloom of summer in her next work.”
~ Barb Radmore, Front Street Reviews

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“[T]hought provoking, multi-layered and simply beautifully written…the story flows seamlessly like a good movie, pulling the reader in that universe for a good amount of time, much longer than it takes to only read the book.”
~ Lori Tiron-Pandit

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“Despite the fragmented harshness of the story, there are truly heartbreakingly beautiful scenes of romance and tenderness between Tess and Brian…Waiting For Spring contains a harsh kind of beauty in the prose and there is a heartbreaking poetry in the whole tale, all of which I find appealing.”
~Mrs. Giggles

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“The reasons behind Tess’ unhappiness, her divorce, and her dysfunctional childhood as well as much else about the demons that drive her are revealed at a deliberate pace, and with considerable skill. They are shown, or rather unfolded for the reader to discover, by Tess herself, a gritty, witty and seemingly tough survivor.”
~ Celia Hayes, POD Reviews & More

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“Waiting for Spring is a very well-written, consistent story with a skillful eye for characterization. It’s not a showy fantasy or clever comedy or groundbreaking genre-maker — but it accomplishes something even better. It shows you a main character, and unfolding group of secondary characters, that live and breathe and…touch the reader’s heart and mind.”
~ Sarah Suleski, Web Fiction Guide

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“What impresses me about Waiting for Spring the most is the writing. R.J. Keller is a good writer…and there are some good lines in the book that are worthy of a good independent film.”
~ New Podler Review

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“A good portion of Tess’s internal dialog and her observations are written as wry asides to herself and she is inviting you, Random Reader, to chuckle along with her. And I did. Even while I had tears running down my cheeks.”
~ Moriah Jovan

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“Your writing is so evocative, so gritty and true.”
~ Linda, South Africa

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“I lived with these people for the past few days and fell in love with every one of them.”
~ Shannon, Minnesota